Massachusetts officials: If you see an overdose, call 911, and Good Samaritan law will protect you

BOSTON - If you see someone overdosing, or you are with someone who is overdosing, you can call 911 and get them help without fear of prosecution.

Massachusetts officials stressed on Tuesday that people will not be prosecuted for drug use or possession if calling in a drug overdose. During a State House press conference, they launched the "Make the Right Call" campaign to highlight the state's Good Samaritan law.

People call 911 in event of drug overdose only 30 to 40 percent of the time.

Gov. Charlie Baker and Attorney General Maura Healey joined law enforcement officials in announcing the $250,000 statewide campaign to encourage people to call 911 at the first sign of a drug overdose. The Good Samaritan law was signed into law 2012.

"It's meant to be there to protect people, so they're not afraid to pick up the phone," Healey said.

"No one should die simply because a friend or a stranger is afraid to pick up the phone and call 911 for help," she added.

The campaign includes billboards and posters, as well as a website: mass.gov/MakeTheRightCall

Baker said about 1,500 people died due to opioid overdoses in 2015, and "that number would have been three or four times as high if it hadn't been for the availability of Narcan."

Narcan is also called naloxone, which can reverse overdoses.

According to Baker, reported instances of emergency responders using naloxone spiked to more than 9,000 times, up from 5,443 times in 2013.